


running circles 'round my mind

by soonshua (dollyeo), transit (dollyeo)



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, M/M, Minor Lee Jihoon | Woozi/Wen Jun Hui | Jun, Phantom Thief Joshua, vigilante soonyoung
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-05-01
Packaged: 2019-04-30 13:41:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14498211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dollyeo/pseuds/soonshua, https://archiveofourown.org/users/dollyeo/pseuds/transit
Summary: It's practically routine, this cat and mouse game with Phantom Thief Joshua. Someday, Soonyoung's gonna catch his ass and lock him up in jail forever.That day, unfortunately, is not today.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sysupportgroup](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sysupportgroup/gifts).



> pea.... I wanted to give u miraculous ladybug but have this instead.... :3 i'm sorry it sucks orz
> 
> based loosely on the [prompt](http://gingerly-writing.tumblr.com/post/157206863766/superhero-aus-13):  
>  _\- ‘I’m a superthief…is it too cliché if I make it my mission to steal your heart?’ AU  
>  \- ‘If you come anywhere near my heart I will cut your goddamn hands off. You are not selling my organs on the black market’ AU_

Soonyoung hates Mondays.

It's not just him. Anyone with a full-time job and not enough overtime compensation from burning the midnight oil would definitely share his sentiments, overzealousness and dedication to the job aside. His workaholic tendencies don't really do him any favors at the end of the day, especially when he gets roped into taking over someone else's shift or staking out on his own because other people have social lives outside of work. Never mind that he and fucking Junhui are supposed to be _partners_ and cracking the case together in solidarity instead of abandoning their partners to celebrate monthsaries. Who even _has_ monthsaries anymore outside of high school, even?

Apparently Junhui, that's who. Soonyoung crumples up the carton of banana milk in his hands, nearly spraying out some of its meager contents onto his shirt. On a normal day, he'd be supportive of Junhui finally getting out of his will-they-or-won't-they limbo with Jihoon, their tech guy, after three solid years and a long-running bet that he didn't even win. He's a great friend. The _best_. He's stuck his neck out for Junhui so many times and even helped him get over his pining and denial with the help of a locked supply closet, one too many shots of soju, and a sneakily smuggled bottle of lube and condoms as a grand display of his supportiveness. He'd even gotten them _cake_ to congratulate them on the sex. He's _that_ kind of friend.

At two in the morning and running on the last leg of his energy, he's starting to reconsider his stance on work relationships and going all out for his friends. Those fuckers are probably dicking each other down on every imaginable surface. (That, or they're being gross and domestic watching magical school girl anime reruns fully-clothed. The latter is more realistic, unfortunately.) Soonyoung could have been spending tonight trying to ingratiate himself to Jisoo, his next-door neighbor, with food deliveries and (illegally) torrented movies, scoring a not-date and cuddles in the process, maybe finally getting to check out Jisoo's apartment and his cat, too, but instead he's here, trying to figure out a way to sneak into the premises of the would-be crime scene without being mistaken for a thief himself.

 _You'd better be getting your dick sucked by now!!!_ Soonyoung bitterly messages Junhui.

 _???_ Junhui replies not a few seconds later. Soonyoung pockets his phone with a sigh. Magical girl reruns it is, then.

He shoves the empty milk carton into the tiny basket of the bike he'd borrowed (read: stolen) from the parking lot of his apartment complex when he'd gotten the distress signal (at midnight! He doesn't get paid enough for this stupid job!), and opens the email Wonwoo had sent him a couple of days ago. It's a scanned copy of a letter they'd stolen from the police district's mail _again_ , and while Soonyoung would normally be grateful for a tip, it's a little hard to muster any ounce of gratitude when the notes have been coming from the same source every single time for the past year: the fucking criminal stealing right under Soonyoung's nose, for instance, taunting everyone in law enforcement with his fucking RSVPs to his latest heist. Soonyoung's track record for catching perps has never been so low until now.

Junhui's been telling him to give up on even winning the employee of the year award this time around, but fuck it all if _Wonwoo_ ends up getting it over him. Bastard doesn't even crawl out of his lair half the time and spends most of his waking hours either trying to drown himself in caffeine or playing video games on his laptop, and _still_ he's got a better catch rate than Soonyoung.

Years of Pokemon training have led him to this, he says. Soonyoung doesn't really get it.

Whatever, Soonyoung thinks, darkly. He props the bike up against a tree, and tries to duck out from the watchful eyes of the district's police force camped out in front of the gated mansion where Phantom Thief Joshua's about to steal an expensive Chwe painting from. Or, trying to-- Soonyoung's gonna catch his skinny ass once and for all or die trying.

But first. He glares at the disguise Wonwoo's packed for him in a paper bag, frilly and offensive to his entire being-- time to pretend he's a maid sneaking back into work after a rendezvous with a handsy lover, just so he can sneak in relatively unmolested. In all his years of vigilanteism and working with Junhui, he's never had to drop his pants and crossdress just to blend into his surroundings. And is that-- _Jesus_ , where'd he even get stockings in Soonyoung's size? Seriously, fuck Wonwoo and his terrible ideas. He's never asking for that bastard's help ever again.

 _Fuck you so hard_ , he texts Wonwoo.

 _Aww, no pics_? What a fucking pervert.

He's in the middle of trying to fasten the hem of the stockings to the garters (what the fuck, Jeon Wonwoo), grunting and sweating all the while (whoever invented cosplay must be really into torture, _ugh_ , when the rustle of bushes distracts him and makes him cagily turn around, suspicious. If Choi Seungcheol from the fucking police force catches him in this, he's going to _die_ , and then come back to life just to strangle Wonwoo and drag him to hell and back with him. No good deed goes unpunished, after all.

Thankfully, it's nothing but a tiny, familiar cat, scruffy and shivering all over. Soonyoung can feel his entire face soften at the sight. Years of hanging around Junhui and being exposed to adorable cat videos have _not_ helped wean him off of his weakness.

"What are you doing here, cutie?" Soonyoung coos. The kitten, a stray that Soonyoung _swears_ is probably magnetically attracted to Soonyoung and trails after him more often than not when he's on a stakeout -- coincidence, not bloodthirsty murder, Wonwoo! -- rubs against his stocking-ed ankles with a purr. Soonyoung's a weak man, and he bends to scratch his fingers under its chin. "Are you here to visit me again?"

"Definitely," a voice pipes up from above him, and Soonyoung almost shrieks and falls over in surprise, lightning-fast reflexes the only thing saving him from even more mortification. Dread pooling in his gut, he straightens up and scowls up at the tree branches, where -- surprise, surprise -- Phantom Thief Joshua is tittering down at him with his arms akimbo and looking way too comfortable like the monkey he probably is. "Nice costume, by the way. I didn't know you liked me enough to indulge me in my kinks, Soonyoung-sshi."

"That's _Hoshi_ to you," Soonyoung bites back, face flushed. Ever since the bastard had stolen his headset from him just to hear Junhui's panicked flits between Soonyoung's code name and his real name, he's been lording it over Soonyoung like an all-too-familiar jackass. He's been trying to get Soonyoung to call him Joshua, too, but Soonyoung's stubborn, not gullible. He probably gets off on being an asshole, even. Soonyoung's _not_ gonna play into his games. "Shouldn't you be in there playing Robin Hood and stealing from the rich to give to the poor, and all that bullshit you keep spouting?"

"I don't know," says the thief. He pushes himself off of his perch on one of the lower branches of the tree, proving himself to be dumb, reckless, or a combination of both as he drops to the ground not even a few feet away from Soonyoung. When he stalks over, Soonyoung braces himself and keeps the kitten shielded behind him, ready to grab him by the throat in case he tries anything funny. Last time, the fucktwit had tied Soonyoung up in an art gallery and left him there for Seungcheol and his team to find, and the bastards haven't stopped laughing about it ever since. "I thought I'd pay my favorite person a visit before I cart off the next best thing in this place."

"Oh really?" Soonyoung asks, dryly. "Couldn't steal an entire mansion, huh?"

"Nope," says the thief. He has the gall to stalk over to Soonyoung like a fucking predator on Animal Kingdom, and Soonyoung can feel his hackles rise as the thief leans forward, close enough to whisper in his ear. "I couldn't steal your heart."

A fucktwit and a flirt. Right. Soonyoung tries to grab him by his wrist and flip him over just to knock him out, but the bastard's even faster than he is, as slimy and resistant to traps as a snake. Or a mudfish. Soonyoung hates both anyway.

"That is the grossest thing you've ever said to me, and I'm not even gonna count that time you tried to proposition me at church," says Soonyoung.

"To be fair, we were in front of a confessional," says Fucktwit. "Don't you think there's poetic justice in that?"

"I don't want to hear the words poetic justice from _you_ , you criminal," Soonyoung growls out.

"My love is as pure as your crush on your neighbor," says Fucktwit. Soonyoung can feel his face turn hot and cold at the same time, his vision blurring in his anger.

"Jesus, you stalker, don't bring him into this!" Soonyoung cries out, kicking at him and missing. He tries again and again, but the slippery bastard just blocks him and catches _his_ ankle instead, making him flail in his hold.

"No matching underwear," says Fucktwit, with a sigh. "Pity."

"I'll kick you in the balls if you don't shut up," Soonyoung warns, wriggling around until he manages to detach himself from Fucktwit's hold, never mind that if the asshole really wanted to, Soonyoung probably couldn't have struggled away. He makes a mental note to never let him and Wonwoo meet, _ever_. "I swear to god, you are the worst--"

A shot of pain jolts through his spine, making him freeze up; his limbs feel like they're locking up, and he falls into an unceremonious heap into Fucktwit's arms, like some god damn swooning damsel in distress, except this time he's willingly letting himself get swallowed up by a fucking viper. " _Mmmghghpph_."

"It's a new tranquilizer I'm testing out," says Fucktwit, cheerfully, as he keeps a palm over Soonyoung's mouth and reveals a tiny dart hidden between his gloved fingers. "Very effective, but it only lasts for half an hour, at most. I figured you'd be less than cooperative after I left you bound and gagged last time."

"You're a fucking sadist and I hope you die," Soonyoung tries to say. Instead, he tries to bite at Fucktwit's hand and channels all his hatred and outrage into his scowl. All the hazard pay in the world's definitely not enough for this. He's gonna extort a raise one way or another.

"It was very nice seeing you again, Soonyoung-sshi," says Fucktwit. Purrs it, even. "Same time next week?"

Why couldn't Soonyoung have been born with the power to incinerate anyone with his mind again? Why'd he have to rely on hardwork like Batman, only way less cool and more underwhelming again? It's not _fair_.

"What about your damn painting?" Soonyoung asks, voice muffled. Fucktwit's eyes seem to light up, and Soonyoung already regrets asking, because this is the exact same face Wonwoo makes when he's smugly about to throw the rug under Soonyoung, or Seungcheol when he has to wrangle Soonyoung out of yet another harebrained scheme just so he doesn't get detained by his colleagues. Soonyoung _hates_ his job so much.

"Already traveling in a getaway car with my partner," says Fucktwit. He bends to brush a mocking kiss against the top of Soonyoung's head, and Soonyoung squeaks. "I figured I'd reward myself with seeing you before I made my own escape."

"Why," Soonyoung bemoans. "Why do you keep doing this to me."

"It's fun to rile you up," say Fucktwit. "You make the cutest expressions when you're helpless."

"Couldn't you have done this on a weekend instead, you asshole?" Soonyoung wails. "Like, you know, _yesterday_?"

"I have places to be on Sundays," Fucktwit says. "Churches to go, bible study groups to chaperone, kids to shepherd--"

Because of course a thief is a beacon of moral uprightness and a good influence to young, impressionable children. They're probably fooled by his looks. Whatever he looks like. Soonyoung doesn't know what's under that mask, but from the purse of his lips and the chisel of his jaw, Soonyoung's betting he's at least an eight out of the ten point scale. Why are all the attractive people he meets jerks? (Well, barring Jisoo. Everyone else is just an asshole in comparison. He can't wait to go home and just mope around in front of the apartment complex long enough for Jisoo to notice and take pity on him with a consoling smile and free breakfast food just to make his day less shitty. Fucktwit, Wonwoo, or Seungcheol could _never_.))

"At least get me out of this," Soonyoung despairs.

"I'd get you out of your clothes, but I'm not into exhibitionism, Soonyoung-sshi," says Fucktwit, coyly. "Maybe next time, when we have more privacy."

"I hope you get shot on your way out," Soonyoung says, flatly, as he prays for it to come true with every fiber of his being. Fucktwit just laughs at him, patronizing as ever, and leaves him a kiss on the cheek in response.

He doesn't, though, not even when the sirens start blaring and the police have finally figured out the painting's gone long after the thief makes his escape. With a heaving sigh, Soonyoung drags the bike _and_ the stray kitten out of the premises, hair mussed up and clothes a rumpled mess, looking exactly like the persona Wonwoo's sketched out for him.

One day, he's gonna catch him, and then he'll cash in on his early retirement and live with cats and dogs all alone, away from fucking perverts and assholes. He _swears_.


	2. Chapter 2

For better or for worse, Soonyoung manages to dodge Seungcheol's lackeys on his way out, though from the disapproval and amusement Wonwoo directs at him back in HQ makes him think that maybe he's less successful at avoidance than he thought.

"What?" Soonyoung asks, warily. "What are you looking at me like that for?"

"I thought you'd come slinking back in full costume," says Wonwoo.

"Fuck you," says Soonyoung, with fake cheer. He shoves the paper bag in Wonwoo's face, face pink from exertion and humiliation all at once. "You just get off on putting me in embarrassing situations, don't you?"

"I didn't _force_ you to wear it," Wonwoo points out. "It was just a suggestion."

Generally, when someone's boss tells them to jump, the only thing you can say is: how high? But Wonwoo's always been a bit of an anti-social eccentric, in the way that only the lonely rich kid types can afford to be. Then again, what kind of sane person even forms his own squad of vigilantes out of his own pocket?

(Tony Stark, that's who, but equating Wonwoo with Iron Man is an _insult_ to Soonyoung's childhood.)

"One of the security cameras in the back gate caught you, by the way," says Wonwoo, throwing a USB onto his desk and making Soonyoung wince. "Seungcheol-hyung's letting you off _this time_ , but that was just sloppy on your part."

"Did you pay him off just to get that?" Soonyoung asks, testily. "Is the police force taking underhanded deals now?"

"The sight of you in cosplay was payment enough," Wonwoo teases, and Soonyoung throws a garter at his face, incensed. Without peeling it off his head, Wonwoo continues, arms folded over his chest. "We're gonna have to take on a bounty hunting job for him for free, now that we owe him a favor."

"Fucking dirty police," Soonyoung mutters under his breath. He really, really hates being indebted to anyone, much less to Choi Seungcheol. Ugh, he's gonna lord it over him the entire time, he knows it. He's the worst.

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth," says Wonwoo. "You're lucky he didn't have you arrested."

"We're the most efficient clean up team in this city and he doesn't even have to pay for it," says Soonyoung. "If that's not ingratitude, I don't know what is."

Wonwoo just looks disappointed at him, the way he usually does when Soonyoung says something thoughtless that he doesn't quite agree with, but he doesn't press; this is how they work best, after all -- doing their own thing, at their own pace, in their own time. It's no one else's business.

"Not everything's black and white, Soonyoung," is all Wonwoo has to say about it, before he hands Soonyoung a stack of files. "Now, for your next job--"

Yeah, fuck Mondays so hard.

 

 

One saving grace about his shitty job, though, is that the free housing has given him the opportunity to bump into his hot neighbor frequently, especially when he's out on his morning jog. The bad part is that it usually happens right after a stakeout when Soonyoung's stressed, loopy, and still suffering from the after effects of drugs or whatever shitty getaway plan his archnemesis has set up for the week, resulting in Soonyoung looking like he's just crawled out of jail instead of hustling criminals into it.

Still, it's enough to make Soonyoung stop in his tracks and gawk at Jisoo in the lobby as he fiddles with his phone. He's wearing a sweatshirt with sleeves long enough to give him sweater paws, and it's enough to make Soonyoung feel attacked. _Sweater paws_. As if he needed to play on Soonyoung's weaknesses even more!

He summons up every ounce of will power in his bones and shuts his mouth, just so he doesn't look like an idiot gawking at the object of his affections and night time fantasies for the past few months. Soonyoung's a healthy, growing guy, asking him to _not_ let his imagination run wild is like telling him to not blindly run after the Phantom Thief after seeing one of his notes, an unhealthy Pavlovian response at this point. Only the difference is that he'd rather pin Jisoo down and have his way with him (or let Jisoo do it to him, whatever, he's not picky) instead of the urge to murder and maim rising up in his throat and bubbling in his stomach.

(Rampant lust and violence kinda feel the same in some ways, though. He's gonna have to talk to a shrink to help him disassociate those feelings for two very different people, unless he wants to sport a boner in front of the Fucktwit. Gross.)

"Morning," he chirps, bounding up to Jisoo with an eagerness that's a lot tamer than the first few weeks of their first meeting, or so his friends say. "Out on a run?"

"I just got back, actually," says Jisoo, nodding back at him. "I forgot my keys and I've been trying to call Jeonghan to let me in."

Ah. The ever-elusive roommate. Soonyoung's only met Jeonghan once, but the entire time he'd been stuck with him in an elevator had been enough to make Soonyoung feel like he was being scrutinized like a lab rat. Sure, the guy had been affable enough, but something in his leer and the cough he'd nursed the whole time had made Soonyoung feel like it wasn't so much Jeonghan suffering from a bad cold as it was Jeonghan laughing at _him_ , but for what, he had no idea.

Then again, he'd been sporting rope burn that time. Great. The roommate probably thinks he's a kinky fucker and warned Jisoo off of him already. He's gonna have to do a bit of sleuthing on Yoon Jeonghan just to bribe his way into his good graces, even if Jihoon keeps warning him off of using the perks of the job on civilians. Screw the rules, all's fair in love and war!

His nonresponsiveness, though, is a slight blessing in disguise. "Do you wanna hang out at my place while you wait?"

"I wouldn't want to impose," says Jisoo, carefully, the way he usually does when he's trying to turn Soonyoung down gently; fortunately for Soonyoung, he's mastered the art of not feeling vaguely hurt at the incoming rejection and just force his way past Jisoo's reluctance without shame. Persistence gets him everywhere.

It's gotten him close enough to Jisoo that Jisoo doesn't even cagily back away from his enthusiasm anymore -- the first few months of their acquiantance, Jisoo had always been much more reserved, eyeing Soonyoung like he expected him to attack him. Now, he's probably registered Soonyoung as fairly harmless in his head at best or a dogged idiot at worst, but he's more open around Soonyoung now, more receptive to his less-than-smooth attempts at flirting.

Hope springs eternal, after all, never mind that his co-workers (minus Junhui) have their own reservations about his ideas about dating civilians and getting them caught in the crossfire. Whatever. Soonyoung can protect Jisoo from that thief any day, never mind that he's _just_ failed to catch him for the nth time. Love can make people do crazy, impossible things, after all.

"It's fine," says Soonyoung, schooling his expression into one of nonchalance, even if a thousand butterflies are already fluttering in his stomach. "You can even take a shower while you wait." He stumbles over his words, catching himself in time. "Not that I'm saying you're sweaty or you smell bad, but-- you know what I mean."

Jisoo doesn't look offended, at least, but the teasing glint in his eyes makes Soonyoung wish the earth would swallow him up if it could. "Thanks for the offer, but I'm gonna have to pass," says Jisoo, and before Soonyoung can deflate, he reaches out to rub his thumb against the corner of Soonyoung's eye. "You look like you could use some sleep instead of taking care of a guest."

 _But I want to take care of you_ , Soonyoung thinks, plaintively; the weaker part of him just leans into the touch, eyelids fluttering with a sigh that he could blame on exhaustion if pressed later on. He'd wait on Jisoo's hand and foot if he could, maybe even run back to HQ just to nag Wonwoo into letting him borrow the maid outfit again if Jisoo liked that kind of stuff, whatever, he's _easy_. Anything if it would get Jisoo to linger long enough for Soonyoung to know him a little better, if not as a lover then as a friend. He just wants _more_.

"Go on," says Jisoo, pulling back and nudging him towards the elevator. "We'll talk again when we bump into each other, promise."

Soonyoung lets the fluttery feelings follow him all the way to his apartment and into bed, the ghost of Jisoo's fingers, soft like felt gloves lingering and burning his cheek. Next time, he'll get Jisoo to stay with him a little longer; it's the only consolation he can get after the shitty stakeout he's just had.

Maybe he should have coaxed the kitten back to his apartment with him instead of letting it run off when they'd reached his street. Jisoo has a cat too, right? Maybe Soonyoung could use it to his advantage, maybe set up kitty play dates and let the stray be the bridge to Jisoo's heart, then they could be together forever in a shared apartment with their pets and no stinking cat burglars, annoying bosses, co-workers, roommates or third parties intruding into their love nest for the rest of their lives...

He falls asleep lulled by dreams of Jisoo and cats, the best things in the world to slip into instead of tranquilizers and drugs, never mind that both of them make him feel vaguely immobile and numb to the world. He sinks into it easily.

 

 

Back in the lobby, Jisoo waits for a few minutes after the elevator's stopped in Soonyoung's floor before he turns back to the task at hand. He heads out of the lobby under the guise of trying to find better reception, and he winds up in the emergency staircase instead, even if the signal is even shittier there. He unlocks the window, and waits until a familiar kitten pokes its head into the gap and meows at him to pick him up.

"Good boy," Jisoo murmurs, before taking a glove out of his pocket and tugging it on his right hand so he can stroke under the cat's chin. "You're better than a dog at finding Soonyoung, aren't you?"

The cat purrs, letting him pet him for a few more moments until Jisoo's fingers dip a little too near his mouth, and he sinks his fangs into Jisoo's glove, nipping into the skin a little too dangerously to be playful. Jisoo doesn't mind, though-- he's already used to little things trying to get their teeth and claws into him. It's nothing.

"He already likes you, I think," Jisoo considers, humming under his breath as he taps at the bell attached to the frayed ribbon round the cat's neck, hiding a small camera inside. "Maybe I should let him take you in for a few days. Then maybe you can scope out his apartment and see if there's anything interesting in there, huh?"

There's a muffled noise in his pocket, coming from his phone. Jisoo pulls his phone out and tries to hide his incoming grin when he puts the phone on speaker and hears Seungkwan yelling, "Oh great, he's talking to the cat now and trying to turn it into a voyeur, _disgusting_ \--"

"I heard that," he informs him, drily. It doesn't make Seungkwan shut up at all, no; if anything Seungkwan lets out an anguished groan and puts on his lecturing hat.

"You are officially _the worst_ ," Seungkwan wails into the other line, heavy with volumes of disapproval even through the crackle of static as they go through what might be a tunnel. "Did you really have to make us listen to you torturing him like that?"

"I thought I put you guys on hold," Jisoo lies, and in the midst of Seungkwan and Seokmin's gagging, he can hear Jeonghan's peal of laughter ringing through the car. "You could have hung up."

"Jeonghan-hyung wouldn't let go of the phone," Seungkwan says, grimly.

"Please don't deprive me of my daily source of entertainment," says Jeonghan. "It's bad enough Soonyoung-sshi's been avoiding me lately. He's probably cottoning on."

"And of course it has _nothing_ to do with your pleasing personality," Seungkwan mutters.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," Seokmin cuts in, but from the sound of Seungkwan's pained yelp in the background, Jeonghan's probably tugged at his hair or pinched him. Or both. It's not out of the realm of possibility, but Jisoo hopes that Seungkwan isn't driving, at least. Best not to crash the car and have to explain to the police why they have a million won stolen painting in the trunk, even if it _is_ technically Hansol's to keep instead of the chaebol brat that got it off of the black market from a loan shark. 

Or so Seungkwan says. Seungkwan's very obsessed with the idea of keeping Chwe Hansol happy, as fixated and stubborn as Soonyoung. They should meet someday. Soonyoung would like Seungkwan, Jisoo thinks -- but then again, Jisoo's not here to get his professional network get entangled with his favorite do-gooder, even if it _is_ amusing to watch him turn hot and cold at Jisoo and his alter ego. No, no business mixing with pleasure. It's bad enough _Jihoon's_ apparently turned a new leaf, but not enough to shed his vigilante tendencies completely. Funny, that.

"We're heading off to the drop point right now," continues Seokmin as Seungkwan and Jeonghan argue. "We'll be a little MIA for a while-- I don't think the underground's gonna be too happy we're dipping our toes into their spoils, but I'll make sure Jeonghan-hyung gets home in one piece. You might wanna stick around lover boy for a while, though. That boss of his -- Jeon, I think -- his family's into shadier stuff than we are, so they definitely have more protection than most of them even realize. No one's gonna risk touching you when you're around his favorite."

Jisoo doesn't say anything. He's known it for a while, has toyed with the idea of it in the back of his head; skilled or not, Soonyoung's careless and hot-headed, and while normally Choi Seungcheol would have had his ass behind bars a long time ago -- helpful attempts at cleaning up the streets or otherwise -- Jisoo knows there's a certain measure of turning a blind eye to the point of incompetence that Seungcheol's willing to afford Soonyoung's little gang of do-gooders, and it has nothing to do with Soonyoung's winning personality, even if he does make it easy to love him just a little and fall into his grin.

Still, the kid's cute and reminds him a little of Seokmin and Seungkwan. If he knew he could drag him away from his ragtag band, Jisoo would have done it a long time ago, but Soonyoung's laser-focused and single-minded in the worst kind of way. Loyal, too, and less quick to let go of a grudge. He'd never forgive Jisoo, if he knew how long he's been keeping it a secret. He's never going to say yes.

There's a scuffle on the other end of the line, and it's Jeonghan's voice he hears next, the voices of the other two muted now. "Don't play with your food, Joshua," Jeonghan reminds him, tone light even as the weight in his words is loaded. "You know you can't afford to get attached."

"I know," Jisoo promises, sighing. "I'll be more careful next time."

When he hangs up, though, he's not sure anymore. It's a little too late, he thinks, as he lets the cat crawl into his lap and nudge his head against Jisoo's palm, the same way he'd come running to Soonyoung after every heist.

He's already attached.


End file.
